A team sport, and an individual sport all in the same breath. Sure, there can only be one winner of the Tour (don't worry, I'll get to Lance a little later), but he wouldn't be able to pull off a Tour victory very easily without his teammates supporting him all along the way. Considering the concept of the peloton (or main field (the big bulk of riders all riding together that look like one mass)) the benefits are encouraging. Not wanting to make up a statistic (since 90%* of statistics are made up), but the riders behind those at the front only perform at a fraction of the people at the front. As a mass they can ride longer than they would as individual riders.

The same happens for any rider being led by (pacing) another. Knowing that a team is made up for generally one reason, which is to help their leader win (whether the overall lead or one of the other jersey's, we're not getting into that), that leader can use each and every person on that team to their advantage. Using the example with which I am most familiar, Lance brings people along with him who can pace him, and do that larger fraction of work for him as long as they can, until they can no longer, at which point he uses somebody else. He does this until all of his resources are used at which point he can continue onward, having conserved energy. Though some of those people may perform well on a given stage or multiple stages, they're not expected to be the leader, or the one who must perform well each and every day.

The idea of pacing somebody (leading out in front of them) is really what seems to lead the sport. Being able to take advantage of work that others are doing, so that you can lessen the amount of work you have to do for yourself. Now don't get me wrong, there is a lot more to the sport than following others. There are perfect chances for a person to really be able to show what they're made of. An individual time trial seems to be one place. Out there, with nothing but the bike and the clock. Race as hard as you can for a given distance, but don't use too much energy too early or you'll be suffering later on. Don't forget mountain stages, where the hills are 20, or 30 miles long with some gradient that would overheat my car if I tried to drive up.

Again, my knowledge of the sport is limited to what I learn from watching the sport on TV. Having never spent more time on a bike than most people, I'm in no position of expert knowledge. Aerodynamics, positioning, technique, mechanics, energy conservation, team dynamics, personal health and fitness, the weather… these are all contributing factors. I'm leaving things where they are.

Let me just talk briefly about Lance Armstrong. I've never done a triathlon. I've never been a professional cyclist. I've never had cancer. I've never returned 3 years after being diagnosed with cancer and won the Tour de France. I've never established a foundation that helps people living with cancer. I've never won the Tour 5 times, 6 times, let alone 7 times. I've never made out with Sheryl Crow. I don't know what it is like to be Lance, but from what I understand he has accomplished something truly spectacular and amazing. He is a role model for many more people than just future and current cyclists. He stands for something to thousands, if not millions of people. Having watched the Tour for his 5th, 6th, and 7th victories, I'm glad that I was able to witness history and be inspired to be strong, or as he might prefer, to live strong.

Welcome to The Fridge, both Lance and the Tour. Whether inspirational, or analogous to how life can/could/should/would operate in many areas, both are pretty cool. I look forward to the future of both.

(* This is a perfect example of this very statistic)